Last weekend, there was a parade in town - I think it was for the rodeo, but as you will see, I am pretty sure they let just about anyone into this parade! :-)
The Grand Marshal of this parade was a woman who worked in cryptology in WWII. She was quite a big deal and now lives right here in Redding.
Of course the Budweiser Clydesdales made their appearance again. They looked much larger from curb level!
So here begins the line-up - there was everything from little kids groups (these are baton twirlers),
To Smokey the Bear in an airplane,
To marching bands from the local schools,
To Native Americans,
And Norwegians alike! Go Vikings!!
But let's not forget the Scottish bagpipers,
At the sight of this, K says, "Look Mom! Is that an old time garbage truck?"
Even Cookie Monster and King Julian made appearances.
This is the high school I taught at for six years before we moved south. Ah, my Hornets!
Last but not least, and certainly not all of the participants were represented, but we must give a shout out to the State of Jefferson float. No, this is not a joke. It is a pretty decent movement up here and this is the flag, well the bottom of it. For those who do not know, there is a movement to attempt to get Northern CA out of CA and make it its own state (with a little bit of southern OR included). The primary push for this is due to the conservative nature of NorCal and their frustration with always being outnumbered by the south. There were gunshots from the asphalt cowboys and so much more, but alas, we must move on.
To Elsa and Anna with Toothless. Em is into making paper dolls of herself these days. The crazy thing is that they usually look just like her. She is very detailed and does a great job. She will then take them everywhere with her as her "me friend". I guess its better than an imaginary friend. I think. :-)
Well, in prepping to get ready to camp, the girls asked if they could go fishing. So we called up one of the guys in our church and he said he had some gear we could borrow. He came over and showed the girls how to cast and use the rod and reel.
And then he showed Mom and Dad how to change the bait and tie the knots on the line. I hope we remember it all!
K has gone out every day since he came and practiced. She is so cute!
Em goes too...sometimes...she doesn't have the same patience as big sis.
We had our end of the year party for the homeschool. These two were the only two kindergartners who made it through the entire school year. So proud!
K got the "Rockin' Reader Award". Crazy kid!
They had also made little year books with pics from the year and they all signed them and they also made frames of their school photo. It was very cute! I am glad they take the time to do this stuff as it is so special to the kids and the parents who work so hard all year long! They made every kid feel special!
It is funny, until it was over, I didn't realize that I had questioned whether I could actually do this or not. You know that realization that your sense of relief is a little too big for the circumstances and it surprises even you? Yeah, I had that. I was overwhelmingly relieved when we finished up. I didn't realize that there was a piece of me that doubted I could survive an entire year being both my kids' teacher and mother - full time, all the time. And I am proud to say that we didn't just survive, we did well. We even still like each other! Well, most of the time. :-)
My Rockin' Reader is NOT a Rockin' Rider...she has been scared of bikes for as long as I can remember (probably the first time she fell off). Sometimes a good memory is not your friend. She has wanted to learn to ride but is too scared. So, every once in a while she lets Dad show her. I was watching her today and she rides all over on her own, but spends the entire time crying at Dad that she can't do it without him.
Literally, he is this far away except for the start. LOL! Crazy girl. She is riding all by herself and just needs to get past her fear.
Do you ever wonder how many things we do this with in our lives? Perhaps that's why God says so often, "Do not be afraid!" Can't you hear Him being a Dad to us? "You've got this, just calm down and take a deep breath. Look, you are already doing it. I won't leave you. I'm right here. Just keep trying. Look around, you are stronger than you think. I already know it is true, now you just need to listen to me and believe it. Go ahead, believe."
And yes, I have taken videos and shown her...
Well, we leave in less than 48 hours. I am so excited! It has been almost a year since we took a break from life and smelled the roses - it would have been a full year in just a couple of weeks in fact. We went to CO with the Erickson's last June. Then we came back, sold and packed our house, moved, bought a new house and business and, well, you know the rest. It's been a whirlwind and I for one can't wait to lay in a tent for ten hours on end while I eek every extra second of sleep my kids will take so long as I lie next to them. BTW, I usually can't handle this and try to sneak out as quietly as possible without waking them. I think this time around I might have a different perspective - and a better phone - with internet. Have a great day! God Bless!
